Canada's Growing Nation
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Canada's Growing Nation
Canada grows, 1867–1914
On 1 July 1867, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia joined together as the Dominion of Canada. This event is called Confederation. Canada later expanded as more provinces joined. Manitoba entered Confederation in 1870, British Columbia joined later, and Prince Edward Island in 1873. The North-West Territories were created in 1870 from a vast area that included lands where First Nations and Métis people lived. Canada’s leaders wanted to connect distant regions and encourage settlement in the West. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was completed in 1885. It carried people and goods across the country, though railway building came at a great human cost. Chinese workers did dangerous, poorly paid work building the railway, and many died. Afterward, the Canadian government imposed a head tax on Chinese immigrants, making it costly for Chinese people to enter Canada. The government also encouraged immigration to the Prairies. Many newcomers, including people from Britain and Ukraine, hoped to find work, farmland or a new start. The Dominion Lands Act offered settlers the chance to claim farmland if they met certain conditions. Establishing farms could be difficult, and newcomers had to adjust to the Prairies’ unfamiliar climate. Settlement changed the Prairies and intensified the taking of Indigenous lands. Treaties were made between First Nations and the Crown, but they were understood differently by the parties, and their consequences continue to matter. By 1914, Canada’s population had grown to about 8 million. Its growth brought new communities and connections, but it also involved unfair policies, hardship and major changes for Indigenous peoples.
1867 — Confederation begins
1870 — Manitoba joins; North-West Territories created
1871 — British Columbia joins
1873 — Prince Edward Island joins
1885 — Canadian Pacific Railway completed
1914 — Canada’s population is about 8 million
Explore the evidence
Answer using the passage and timeline.
- 1870
- 1871
- 1873
- 1885
3 printable pages
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
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